Railway-switch.



No. 663,707. Patented Dec. ll, I900.

' A. A. STHDM.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Aug. 1, 1900.\

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

*i z E Q E U U Q R q q @0672%71 flreZ7 55v2z 9 L No. 663,707 Patented Dec. ll, I900. A.-A. STRUM.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Applicatioq filed Aug. 1, 1900.)

2 Sheets8heet 2.

(No ModaLr j fizzy.

TNE NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTBLIT'HO, WASHINGTON, C.

NITED TTE AXEL A. STROM, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROM' MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 663,707, dated December 11, 190 0.

Application filed August 1, 1900. Serial No. 25,551- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, AXEL A. STROM, acitizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, primarily, to an improvement in the slide-plates for the pointrails of split switches.

It is common to provide for each pivotal point-rail in a switch a series of metal slideplates to extend for some distance back from the pointed end of the rail, the slide-plates of the series being fastened down independently of each other upon the successive ties to ext-end transversely under the base of the adjacent main rail and afford at the inner side of the latter bearings on which the pointrail slides in being thrown. By reason of the usual bevel along the top of the point-rail in order that its upper surface shall extend to or approximately to and parallel with the plane of the top of the adjacent main rail, as required, the slide-plates in the series have to vary successively in height to afford a support for the point-rail, inclining regularly downward in the backward direction from the point inversely of the forwarddownward inclination of the top of the point-rail produced by beveling it.

In constructing the track the matter of adjusting the members of the series of slideplates involves the requirement of selection to insure placing the members of each series of the proper relative heights in the proper positions under the point-rails, so that they shall afford a regularly-inclined support for the point-rail on which it will find firm hearing at each tie equipped with a slide-plate. The care necessarily exercised in the adjustment of the slide-plates into and their maintenance in their respective proper positions and the time required for effecting it are material items in the cost of erection of the switch. I

. My primary object is greatly to simplify railway-switch construction by providing, to support the point-rail, a continuous slideplate adapted to extend lengthwise over a plurality of ties and having the same or ap proximately the same inclination along its upper side that is provided along the top of the point-rail, whereby when the slide-plate is adjusted into position, with its upper sur' face inclining downward and backward from the forward end'of the point-rail, the forwardly-inclined top of the point-rail shall be parallel or as nearly parallel as required with the top of the adjacent main rail.

Further objects are q to afford additional firmness to the main rails at their inner sides along the sections thereof at which the switchrails are provided and to provide peculiarlyeffective means for holding the point-rails against tipping laterally under the strains to which they are subjected in use, the accomplishment of each of which objects is rendered possible by the use of my improved continuous slide-plate.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a railway-switch equipped with my improvement; Fig. 2, a perspective view of one form of my improved slide-plate; Fig. 3, a similar View of another form of the same; Fig. 4, an enlarged section taken at the line 4 on Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow, showing the form of slide-plate illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, an enlarged section taken at the line 4: on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, showing the form of slide-plate presented in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6, an enlarged section taken at the line 6 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, showing the form of continuous slide-plate presented in Fig. 2.

AA are the main rails, and B B are the movable point-rails, of a switch.

C is my improved metal slideplate, which may be of the form shown in Fig. 2, wherein the raised section a is solid and forms an abutment Z) along the longitudinal center of the plate and inclines regularly from one end to the other at the same or approximately the same angle of inclination as the top of a point-railB, or the continuous slide-plate may have the form shown in Fig. 3, wherein the raised portion C6 is formed on the required incline by striking it up, thereby producing also the longitudinal shoulder or abutment I).

The plates C, one for each point-rail, are placed in position and fastened down upon their length uniform hearing at their bases,

the inverse inclination of the top of each raised section to the top of each point-rail supporting the latter with its top parallel or approximately parallel with and as nearly as need be in the horizontal plane of the top of the adjacent main rail.

As will be seen, by providing the continuous slide-plate with the raised section properly inclined the equipment of the switch with bearings for the point-rails is greatly facilitated, the number of slide-plates for a switch is reduced to the minimum, and slidebearings are provided for the point rails throughout the extent of their length that requires slide-plate supports.

A further advantage afforded by my improved slide-plate is that owing to its continuous form it cannot under the weight to which it is subjected by trains passing over the switch become embedded in the soft Wood of theties, as do the ordinary narrow slideplates, with the effect of causing the pointrails to contact frictionall'y with the wood, thereby increasing the friction in their movement and impairing the function of the slideplates,besides lowering the levels of the pointrails, with the tendency, where the extent of embedment of successive slide'plates is unequal, of causing the point-rails to break un der the strains to which they are subjected.

Where the single narrow slide-plates are used, as heretofore, one on each tie, leaving thespaces between the successive ties uncovered, it is impossible or at least impracticable to fasten the main rails at the flanges on their inner sides along the sections where the pointrails extend-that is to say, the main. rails may not there be spiked to the ties, because the heads of the spikes would protrude above the planes of the main-rail flanges, when they would obstruct the throw of the switch-railsand it is impracticable to bolt them there to the ties and overcome the protrusion of the boltheads by countersinking in the railfianges, as the under sides of the ties are not accessible for fastening the bolts by nuts. Hence it has hitherto been the practice to leave the sections referred to of the main rails unfastened along their inner sides, with the consequent lack of security. The use of my improved continuous slide-plate enables me to overcome this defect in switch construction, for since the slideplate bridges the bolts 0.

spaces between the ties across which it eX- tends it affords readily-accessible bearings between the ties for bolts. Accordingly I utilize the continuous slide-plate as a medium for additionally fastening down the main rails A by means of bolts 0, inserted at intervals through the sections of their inner flanges, along which the point-rails extend, and through the continuous slide-plates C, where they bridge the spaces between the ties, and countersink the heads of the bolts in the rail-flanges, as shown, so as to prevent.

them from presenting obstructions to the switch-rails, and the bolts are fastened bynuts 0 at the under sides of the slide-plates. If desired, rivets may be used instead of the Moreover, as split switches have hitherto been constructed the tie-bar E, which passes transversely across the bases of the main rails A and the point-rails B, (with which latter it is commonly connected bymeans of clips; cl, pivotally fastened through their tail portions to the tie-bar,) finds upward bearing only against the bottoms of the rails to prevent the points from rising by the weight of cars passing over them. This hearing and the connection with the tie-bar of the point-rails are not adequate to prevent the latter from being tilted laterally under the thrusts of the wheel-flanges against them, and these thrusts therefore subject them to severe strain, which disorganizes them and their connections. With the use of my improved. continuous slide-plates not only are wider upward bearing-surfaces afiorded by their under sides to the tie-bar, which passes underneath them, as shown, and thus transversely. across the bases of the point and main rails, but their width enables me to provide in each a transverse slot f, through which to pass the bolt e, which connects the respective point-rail at its clip cl with the tie-bar F. This slot, which is wide enough to prevent binding the bolt in the throw of the switch, affords a guide for the bolt, and thewide bearing-surface of the slide-plate, across which the tie-bar bears, prevents the point-rail from tilting laterally, while the bolt e prevents the point from rising.

The leading feature of the invention on which my improved construction is founded is that of a slide-plate provided with relatively higher and lower longitudinal sections, one of which sections is inclined lengthwise of the rail to produce the result of supporting the base of the point-rail above the bottom of the base of the adjacent main rail, and. I desire tohave myinvention understood thus broadly, however the slide-plate may be formed and applied to produce the desired relation of the base of the point-rail to that of the main rail.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ist 1. Asa new article of manufacture, a slideplate for the point-rail of a railway-switch having longitudinally thereof an elevated sectinuous slide-plate for the point-rail of a railway-switch, adapted to extend lengthwise across a plurality of ties and provided on its upper side with a longitudinal depressed section affording a seat for the main rail and with a continuous raised section affording an abutment for the main rail and inclining along its top in accordance with the inclination of the point-rail supported by it, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 4. As a new article of manufacture, a continuous slide-plate for the point-rail of a railway-switch, adapted to extend lengthwise across a plurality of ties and comprising a metal plate having a struck-up section inclining along its top in accordance with the inclination of the point-rail supported by it, and affording a depressed seat-section and a lateral abutment for the main rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a railway -switch, the combination with the main and switch rails, of a continuous slide-plate for each switch-rail extending lengthwise across a plurality of ties and bridging the spaces between them, the main rails being fastened at their inner flanges to said slide-plates between said ties and within the length of the adjacent switch-rail, substan-- tially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a railway-switch, the combination with the main and switch rails, of a continuous slide-plate for each switch-rail extending lengthwise across a plurality of ties and bridging the spaces between them, and bolts fastening the main rails through their inner flanges to said slide-plates between said ties and having their heads countersunk in said flanges, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. v r

7. In a railwayswitch, the combination with the main and switch rails, of a continuous slide-plate for each switch-rail extending lengthwise underneath it and the adjacent main rail across a plurality of ties and having a transverse slot, and a tiebar extending transversely across the bases of said slide plates and connected with a switch-rail through each of said slots, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a railwayswitch, the combination with the main and switch rails, of a continu ous slide-plate for each switch-rail extending lengthwise underneath it and the adjacent. main rail across a plurality of ties and having a transverse slot, a tie-bar extending transversely across the bases of said slide-plates, clips fastened to the switch-rails, and bolts connecting said clips with the tie-bar through said slots, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

AXEL A. S'IROM.

In presence of M. J. FROST, A. D. BACGI. 

